Traits and Masks

Traits are the parts of your image that you want to create variations of. Masks define exactly which pixels belong to each trait.

What is a Trait?

A trait is any distinct part of your image that can be varied independently:

• Character traits: eyes, hair, accessories, clothing
• Object traits: wheels, windows, decorations
• Environment traits: background, foreground, lighting

Good traits are:

• Visually distinct - Easy to separate from other parts
• Meaningful - Worth creating variations of
• Self-contained - Don't overlap with other traits

What is a Mask?

A mask is a black-and-white image that defines which pixels belong to a trait:

• White pixels = Part of the trait
• Black pixels = Not part of the trait

When you generate variations, only the white areas are modified. The mask also defines what gets extracted as a transparent layer.

Detection Process

1. Define traits - Add trait names like "eyes", "hat", "background"
2. Write detection prompts - Describe what to find: "the character's round eyes"
3. Run AI detection - Gemini analyzes the image and creates masks
4. Refine manually - Use brush/eraser to fix any errors

Mask Variants

Each trait can have up to 5 mask variants (v1-v5). This lets you:

• Try different AI detections
• Create manual alternatives
• Keep backups before editing

One variant is marked as the favorite (shown with a star). The favorite mask is used for:

• Layer extraction
• Combination generation

Editing Masks

The mask editor provides:

Tool	Function
Brush	Add to mask (paint white)
Eraser	Remove from mask (paint black)
Pan	Move around the canvas
Zoom	Scroll to zoom in/out

Brush modes:

• Positive - Paint adds to mask (normal)
• Negative - Paint removes from mask

Editing Tips

• Hold Shift while dragging to draw straight lines
• Use scroll wheel to adjust brush size
• Toggle between positive/negative mode for quick edits
• Zoom in for detail work

Layer Order

Layer order determines how traits stack when combined:

Back → Front
background → body → clothing → accessories → eyes

Layers listed first appear behind layers listed later. Set this in the Detection page's "Layer Order" section.

Best Practices

1. Use specific detection prompts - "the robot's glowing blue eyes" works better than "eyes"
2. Check edges carefully - Zoom in to verify mask boundaries
3. Create clean separations - Avoid overlapping traits when possible
4. Save multiple variants - Keep your best detection before heavy editing
5. Test with variations - Generate a quick variation to verify your mask works